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1
Install Node.js (Free)
OpenClaw runs on Node.js. Download and install it first.
Choose the "LTS" version. It's the stable one.
2
Download Cursor (Recommended Editor)
Cursor is the best code editor to use alongside OpenClaw. It's free and makes editing code easy.
3
Clone OpenClaw from GitHub
Open your terminal (Mac: Cmd+Space → type "terminal") and run:
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
cd openclaw
npm install
4
Add Your AI API Key
OpenClaw needs an AI model to think. The cheapest option is DeepSeek (way cheaper than OpenAI). Sign up, get an API key, and add it to your OpenClaw config.
DeepSeek costs about $0.27 per million tokens. You can build your entire app for under $1.
5
Start Building
Run openclaw in your terminal. Then just tell it what you want to build. Go back to the main guide and use the prompts!